In A Boy Becomes a Man, an unfortunate event, the loss of his father, sets a boy s life into hardship. At the age of ten he has to quit school to start working as a goat herder. He, occasionally, trades jobs with his friend, Manuel, who is the pig herder. His many hair-raising experiences lead him to mature and grow beyond his age. A year later, he has to quit his job and say good-bye to his boss and to his friend because his family has to move to San Antonio, from where they plan to emigrate to the United States. "